Adding (& Hemming!) Breezy Bedroom Curtains

This isn’t as exciting as our big laundry room reno (nothing is!) but let’s talk about curtains for a second. Remember when our bedroom was all naked and afraid? (Sidenote: if you’re not watching that show, you should be).

We added frames and hung curtains at the same time, but it took us way longer to actually finish said curtains. We knew we wanted nice white linen-like ones for our dark-walled bedroom, and had heard a lot of good things about the Lenda curtains from Ikea around blogland (they’re their nicer/thicker white curtains with a convincing linen-looking weave, as opposed to the cheaper/thinner/breezier ones we’ve tried in previous houses). After seeing – and feeling – them in person, we were sold.

We also grabbed some nice substantial curtain rods from Lowe’s along with some nice big ring hooks (the same ones that we used in Teddy’s room).

They didn’t look so great when we first hung them after washing and drying them (to account for shrinkage), which is why we moved on to our little frame project (and asked you ignore the curtains while posting about that).

Once we finished with the frames, I turned my attention back to the curtains and slowly (as in, it took me a month to finish them) got ’em done. First I took them down one by one and ironed them. I also removed the tabs at the top, so we could clip them more cleanly to each panel. See how it looks floppy and folded over in the one that’s hanging below? No bueno.

Just ironing them and removing the tab tops made a big difference. We also realized that they looked nicer when they were less pulled out/wide. That’s right, after years of practicing hanging curtains “high and wide” to give the illusion of bigger windows, it felt odd to like the look of tighter, narrower curtains – but it really gave these curtain panels a cleaner and fuller look.

The last thing they needed was a bit of a hem on the bottom, so after three weeks or so of being almost-but-not-quite done, I took to my sewing machine to make a nice thick hem (around 4″).

Here they are after. So. Much. Better.

I just want to rehang the curtain rods a little closer to the windows (nothing a little spackle and paint can’t solve).

Oh and one more tip is that when I hung them I sort of trained the fabric to alternate the direction of the loops with the rings (between two rings I’d train it to swoop out and between the next two rings I’d train the fabric to swoop in). That created a nice shape that I could follow down the rest of the panel for that drapey look. The professionally made curtains at the showhouse had that shape to them, and we really liked it. They felt so polished and tailored. Here we use faux white wood blinds for privacy, and the showhouse has plantation shutters, so in both cases the curtains are purely decorative (so they’re not drawn closed and can keep that shape).

Speaking of the professionally made curtains we got for the showhouse, we’re actually debating getting some made for our office. We know it won’t be as cheap as buying fabric and making our own (or grabbing pre-made ones by mass retailers) but we really loved how the showhouse ones turned out, and we conveniently met a seamstress through that process that we can use. We actually debated using her for bedroom curtains, but we figured white linen looking curtains were easy enough to find, so we’ll save her talents for a more not-readily-available result, like office curtains in one of these fabrics:

We ran through our favorite local fabric store (U-Fab) to grab these swatches. We love all of them for different reasons, so we’re still simmering on which one to go with. The patterned ones feel a little busy when we hold them up, and although we thought we’d love the emerald green or the orange ones for being a little different than our usual choices, they both felt sort of thicker/heavier than we expected when we put them next to the window.

Our favorite of the group is probably the top right swatch, which we only realized after holding them all up is the same fabric we used for the window treatments in the master bedroom of the showhouse, so while it feels sort of anticlimactic to go with the same thing at home, it’s also nice that they’re pre-vetted and we know we love them (and that they drape beautifully).

We’re not 100% sold on it yet though, so we’ll keep you posted when we make a decision. Sometimes I look into the office and think leaving the windows bare might actually be beautiful…

We also made a few curtain updates in Clara’s room, since we both had some issues with how hers had been looking. I thought the pattern was competing a little too much with the bold rug and the playful raindrop painted wall, and Mr. Function (John) didn’t like how the blackout curtains, which were clipped behind each breezy panel, made them feel a little bulky when we slid them open and closed since we hadn’t ever sewn them together. Plus, the thin rod – a carryover from our last house – was starting to sag.

They actually photograph better than they look in person (photogenic curtains?), but in real life they felt a little more demanding and messy looking. So while in the midst of hanging Clara’s new light, we tried two things: flipping the panels backwards (the pattern was more muted on the other side) and removing the blackout curtains (which we’ve been considering weaning Clara off of anyways). They immediately felt less bold and heavy.

So I took them down and I sewed a hem on all four sides of all four panels (16 hems!) so that hanging them backwards looked more finished. For a second I worried about how bad the bold circles might look from the street with them drawn, but realized that since we close the blinds before pulling the curtains closed, they’d never be visible from outside – and since we removed the blackout panels we probably would just shut the blinds and leave the curtains open anyway.

Rather than rehanging them on those thin, sagging curtains rods; we took the opportunity to upgrade those too. We went with white wood ones from Lowe’s so that we no longer had a dark metal line cutting across the top of each window. That’s a look that we like almost every where else, but Clara’s room is so light and playful that it felt oddly heavy and out of place in here. As soon as we got the white rods up, they felt great.

I was waiting for one of you eagle eyed readers to notice the rod change/curtain flip in Clara’s light post, but nobody did! To be fair, we hardly showed them, so here’s a nice full view for ya. We’re still not certain they’ll be Clara’s forever curtains, but we’re both liking them much better, and it was a zero dollar change other than the rod upgrade (they’ll stay no matter what curtains end up there someday).

Oh and as for the length in here, John was adamant that ours be floor-length in our bedroom (he likes that look best) but agreed that a little loose pooling action on Clara’s floor would be ok for these. I think that casual french vibe goes well with her Belle-looking chandelier.

The best news of all is that so far our fears of ruining Clara’s sleep habits without blackouts have been unfounded. She’s still taking good naps in the afternoon (which is when the sun hits her windows the most directly) and isn’t waking at sunrise like we worried she would. Turns out those white faux-wood blinds do a pretty decent job at blocking light on their own, so they seem to be just fine without blackouts backing them up.

There you have it. A whole lot of hem-sewing, some new rods, and some curtain considerations for the office. Now it’s back to laundry room stuff (today we’re re-routing vents, which sounds about as exciting as it is – but next is drywall!). Until then I’ll be daydreaming about what curtains we’ll hang in the future bunk room someday and trying not to duct tape my fingers together.

Comments

I have a quick question, but it is regarding our tiny little half bathroom. The linoleum floor is pulling away from the wall and I need to do something with it. Do you have any cheap, easy fixes or ideas for flooring a really small area? I am so confused about where to even start! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

We had that problem in a bathroom of ours too (it was 30-40 year old linoleum). I would (and we did) take it out and put down stick on tiles. It would be really cheap and it is fairly easy. If the linoleum is only in that room, you probably have a transition piece there that you’ll use to separate the bathroom flooring from the adjacent room. Just lift up the transition piece to put the tiles in and then put it back down. If the adjacent room has the same flooring that you don’t want to replace yet, just add a transition piece that will cover where the new meets the old in the doorway. One thing we haven’t done that we want to is to add some 1/4 round molding where the new stick on tiles meet the ceramic wall tiles so it looks really clean/nice (sort of what Sherry said). Good luck and hopefully that made sense!

There is plank wood flooring available that is waterproof, looks good and is reasonably priced especially for a small space. We used it in our basement (due to water concerns we didn’t want to use real wood) and it was incredibly easy to install – you only need a very good pair of scissors and a utility knife. They snap into place similar to laminate wood flooring.

Brilliant on all accounts! I had to Google shoe molding, but that looks like it could do the trick! I’ll be heading out to the store to check out the molding, plank wood flooring and stick on tiles! Thank you all for your help!

Ah! We have those same ikea ones in our bedroom. Only we had to sew blackout fabric to the back after our neighbors decided to hang a barn flood light in the back :/ They don’t hang as nicely now but they sure do the job!

I think the white rods are perfect and a great idea. I need to hang rods in our nursery and the dark rods that I already have (just like Clara’s old ones) definitely feel way to heavy (especially with a lighter color fabric that I’ll go with). I do have some silver/nickel rods already…maybe I’ll try those before thinking about buying something new though.

I just realized we have the same sewing machine! Owning and using my own is a rather different experience from calling across the house to my mom when I get stuck, but it’s fun. In fact, the first thing I sewed was…a sewing machine cover :)

Oh I love this update! I just recently got a brother sewing machine and I love it! Much easier to use then my mother’s singer. (I’m currently working on Princess Anna and Queen Elsa costumes for my girls, which is going surprisely well given that I never sewed clothes/from a pattern before :-) )

I love the Clara’s curtains and I think they look great the way you re-purposed them! And the master bedroom curtains look very lush. I’m not sold on the office curtains… I like the open look too.

I wish I had a sewing machine. You just whip these hems out in a flash and I haven’t used a machine since home ec my sophomore year. I’m looking at sewing four pillows by hand which I don’t mind but I longingly look at your sewing posts with envy. :)

Nice job on Clara’s curtains! I always thought they competed with the rug but it never would have occurred to me to just turn them around, brilliant! I think they white rods help a lot too. I really like the color of the fabric you’re leaning towards for the office but I really like how the yellow fabric (sans-pattern maybe?) plays against the barely blue paint in the office. I imagine it’ll be awesome to have professionally made curtains.

Oh you guysss…you’re so much better than I. I am the lazy one who leaves a bit of curtain pooling on the floor because I don’t get around to hemming them. Yours might just get me to add that task to the list…maybe. In any case, love the new additions!

Gilly that is so funny! I think my fiance and your husband would have a lot to talk about. When he comes home and finds me doing some minor DIY he gives me a knowing look which means “John and Sherry inspired this, didn’t they?” Of course – they’re “my friends” too!

Gilly, I do the exact.same.thing! My husband just did a bunch of lighting stuff in our house, and I had all of YHL’s tutorials pulled up for him and was trying not to say “But YHL did it THIS way…” to my hubs too many times.. and I’ve already been begging to paint our garage doors the same color that John and Sherry just painted their garage doors! You’re husband’s blog description describes all of us fans to a ‘T!’ haha

Were the faux wood blinds in the house already or did you add those? Do you happen to know where they are from? We are looking to add some to our house and would love ones that come recommended. Thanks!

I love curtains and all things curtains. When I wanted a rod to go full length across my sliding glass door (but didn’t want to have a center support or pay $100+) I went to Lowes and bought a long wooden pole (I guess you’d call it that) and had them cut it to size. It was about an inch & 1/2 thick. Then picked up 2 brackets and 2 glass finials for the ends. I painted the pole and brackets the same wall color put on the finials and draped crystal strings from the ends. I made sure the drapes had the right kind of holes to just slide them where ever we wanted them. I love the look. I think the new curtains in the office will be super. The only thing I could think to try next is putting the master bedroom showhouse rug in Clara’s room. I just can’t feel the one she has now. And finally, you’re children are simply adorable.

Love the new curtains. Tip from the Calico Corners lady who did my MBR curtains. Make a stiffer top for the clips by sewing in some “buckram” lining just at the top. Nice, slightly stiffer folds or curves between clips that hold their shape. Joann carries it.

Although I don’t remember paying $30 for them and I think the grommets are ORB…I guess that’s what Ikea does to you, makes your brain go fuzzy! Anyway, they are super thick and the best quality curtains we have, better than some I picked up from Target and World Market.

The master bed curtains look super. Very polished but not too formal. I have to go back and look closer at what you wrote/showed about training the fabric…..also, I think the orange swatch for the office might have been a neat choice! But that blue you like is gorgeous. Clara’s room is so sweet.

I love small updates like this. In so little you change so much. On a completely random side note, you mentioned naked and afraid. I recently found out the contestants don’t get money if they make it all the way. I found that so weird. So they are just naked, and afraid and then done. No money. Maybe they do it as weight loss because they all loose s ton.

Ok – I don’t have grown up cable, so I’ve never heard of this before. I had to go look it up. DaaaaAAANnnnnGGG!! Those folks are crazy to do that!! I could not be with my bits all out in the wide open like that – not to mention trying to stay alive.

Ha! We tried to watch Dating Naked and IT IS NOT THE SAME THING. I learn valuable survival skills (how to boil water so it kills bacteria, which snakes not to hang out with, etc) meanwhile, Dating Naked teaches me nothing except not to date naked.

There’s a naked real estate show too, where they sell homes in a nudist colony. I’ve only seen one or two episodes, but it was pretty funny. Naked and Afraid just pixelates questionable material, but the real estate show uses strategic view points and specially placed objects (even ceramic animals on occasion!), which is kind of hilarious to me. It reminded me of that one scene from Austin Powers… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl_295f530E

Love the curtain switch in Clara’s room! I recently updated my 3-year-old’s curtains — as in, I finally took down the flat sheet we had nailed over the window for bona-fide curtains. Looks leaps & bounds better, as I’m sure you can imagine. :-) Our struggle now, is covering the arched transom over her window. The sheet did a good job of blocking the light, but now the coverage isn’t as great. I’ve considered sewing light-blocking material on them, but was wondering if y’all had any other clever ideas for that window? When we bought our house, we thought the arches were charming; we’ve now sworn them off in any future abodes. Just not practical, in my opinion. Oh, and we’re not fond of the mini-blind fans that I’ve seen in some homes’ windows. Thanks! :-)

Those are tough! I’ve seen people hang super long curtains above them and treat them just like rectangular windows, and I’ve also seen them left completely open and alone (but if you need to block light, it just wouldn’t work). Maybe frosting film would be a nice clean way to cut down on light but still leave them open to see their shape?

WE had a large arch above our window in our old master. I hung the curtains through part of the arch to block some of the light. We also tinted the arch. You couldn’t tell from the outside. We did it to help with the heat but it blocked a little light.

We’re dealing with this right now. Our arch is adjacent to the peak in a cathedral ceiling also so it makes it extra tough. We hung curtain rods following the angle of the ceiling (two sides of a triangle). I made custom curtains that match that shape and cover the arched window with solid fabric and then transition to sheers over the window below it (which has blinds). It provides an interesting shape when they’re closed, blocks the light without being solid, heavy floor to ceiling drapes. While we did this because of the cathedral ceiling, I think the approach would look great on a flat wall, too, and would provide the interesting shape. You can also have curtain rods made at a metal fabricator or pipe benders that match the curve of your arch exactly which would be a pricier but even more custom solution. We looked into it but didn’t have enough clearance between the ceiling and the window to make it work.

I love all the new updates! Clara’s look amazing this way, who would have thought such a small change could make such a difference. We actually have that same white wood rod in our sons room, but since he has a two tone crib (white and dark wood) I picked the ORB rings to carry the two tone look to the window:)

Yeah, and maybe my eyes just still need to adjust. It feels much lighter and more linen-ish on the desk, but when you hold it up it almost looks as thick/light-blocking as velvet, so it was something I didn’t expect. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing though, since we’d keep them open most of the time anyway. Will have to keep percolating…

It all looks good….if only clara’s curtains were blush pink circles, they would be perfect. You could eventually move them back down to the living room when you decide to change them. I think I liked them best there, but I’m just being overly picky, they look good now! ;)

I totally noticed the curtains in Clara’s light post, and commented to myself that I loved the switch! I would have never thought to do that! We have a duvet cover in that fabric that I feel like might benefit from being flipped inside out. Not sure it would work the same, but worth checking out. Thanks for the idea!

now — i find it slightly humorous when you talk about length. I m actually cool with it pooling just slightly a little on the floor but i have other people that disagree with me. to each their own! i think it also depends on the type of flooring. Like if it’s hardwood. it can pool a little bit. but on carpet, it needs to hit exactly where curtain and floor meet!

I’m wondering if the blue fabric looks less heavy because of the color of your wall? The green and orange have more contrast/stick out more. I really love the green, but I can see how the blue would be a better option, especially since it’s a color found throughout your house.

Speaking of IKEA, it looks like they discontinued a curtain I’ve been eyeing (navy striped one), and I am SO upset lol. Back to the curtain search…

For the office curtains, you could make a print look less overwhelming by only having it at the top of the panels (maybe 18-24″ or so), and have them be a solid for the rest of the length. Suggestion aside, I do like the peach and emerald!

I *think* the orange fabric you are considering might be the fabric I used for drapes in one of my bedrooms. I can’t remember what it was called at U-Fab, but it came in that orange/coral color along with several others.

I love those roman shades! And all three of the patterned swatches you chose. Don’t be afraid to go with a pattern in the office S & J. I went for a pretty bold pattern in our kitchen and love how it turned out. Would attach a picture but I can’t figure out how… The key, I think, is to do what you did in the bedroom – keep them narrow and tidy. You get all the fun of the pattern without overwhelming the space.

These ARE beautiful…great blog as well. Even though I suggested a flush valance, I think this may be the perfect solution for you guys! Word to the wise though… we had light PB roman shades in our last house and they got VERY dusty/dirty. Your office will be a great spot with lower (kid) traffic, but I would never suggest them for a main living space. Again, that link is gorgeous – but do REAL families have rooms like that???

I love roman shades! We had to do almost all roman shades in our house because all we have are those long, short, rancher style windows (kinda silly to have curtains that reach the floor with the bottom of the window 5ft off the ground). I ended up making all of them with this tutorial. They’ve all held up great!

On the topic of curtains, I have bay window and french doors on the same wall. One is in the kitchen and one is in the living room, but they are pretty close to each other.Should I use matching curtains? I’m wondering if two different colors or prints would be too busy…

I think you couldn’t go wrong with matching ones (it’ll tie the spaces together) or you could look for complementary ones (like plain white ones in one area and white ones with a border or light pattern in the other).

If you are worried about a pattern in the office, why not hold Clara’s patterned curtains up and see if you like the look of a pattern or would prefer something solid. A little swatch is hard to decide but holding up a full-size curtain can give you an idea of what you’ll love or hate. I’m doing that to see if I want heavier or lighter curtains in our guest rooms and offices.

We have an East facing bedroom window, so I went with room darkening cellular shades and then blackout curtains. Our room is so dark with them closed that I could sleep on the sun! Our (crazy) dog rises with the sun… so I like that we can trick her into an extra hour of sleep in the mornings!

Just a quick suggestion regarding the office windows – what about creating a valence instead??? That way, you can keep your beautiful windows free but also add a touch of contrast/interest. And I’m not talking an 80s swirly, draping valence, but rather a high and tight cornice board look. I did something similar in our house… basically just plywood, covered with batting and fabric – so minus the corner, boxy look of a cornice board (more casual than formal!). It creates a finishing touch without complication. I had a local seamstress do my first floor ones because I didn’t understand how she would hang them without a gap (and I knew she would get the fabric taut and flawless), but now that I know the process AND the right bracket that keeps them flush – I’m totally ready to tackle the bedrooms!

“Photogenic curtains?” Haha! The difference in Clara’s room looks pretty subtle online, but I bet in person it looks a lot better! I like the creative solution of flipping them around for a more subdued pattern.

Oh my goodness… you’re so lucky that she still naps! My kids have all given it up by 3, and we allowed it because it started to interfere with their night sleep (they’d nap, but them be up till 10 pm). Here’s hoping our youngest (2 1/2 years) will be nicer to mommy and hang onto that nap longer. :)

I have a quick question, not really related to this particular post, but I notice you have the CUTEST table fans in your house. I love that they’re obviously functional but have a great vintage/classic vibe. I’ve tried to look for them, but can’t seem to find them. Where did you buy them?

She’s the sleepiest girl! I knock on wood every day, but it seems to be sticking. Meanwhile I was up every few hours with Teddy last night, so don’t be too jealous. He’s the wild card sleeper of the family ;)

That’s amazing you’ve weaned Clara off of blackouts!! So smart! How do Clara and Teddy naps go with the work being done on the laundry room since it’s on the same floor as their rooms? Do you guys avoid the noisy demo/framing while they’re sleeping or do they sleep right through it? Hubby and I have been having such a hard time getting the work done on our upstairs bathroom that takes both of us at the same time since our 14 month old just won’t nap through it, even with her noise machine turned up!

We avoid the noisy stuff while they nap during the day (I usually have them downstairs with me while John bangs or hammers) although at night Clara is more of a solid sleeper (if Teddy’s up nursing with me downstairs, John can hammer away without Clara waking up at night).

Someone else linked to some amazing patterned roman shades for the office and I’m IN LOVE!!!! Definitely something to consider. As for the kids rooms, the faux wood blinds seem to be doing the trick in there for now, but lined shades are a good backup option!